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Cosplayer Toni Darling is slightly amused to have been the subject of at least two internet memes, both based around her female Thor cosplay. The Arizonan was a cosplay guest at the 2013 Las Vegas Comic Expo and counts Sailor Moon, Tier Halibel from Bleach, and Lady Death, among her many cosplays. But Darling confided that her true convention preference is for gaming conventions like Gen Con, which Darling attended earlier this year in August and says she’ll never miss again.

Toni Darling the Gamer

At Gen Con 2013, Darling worked at the Japanime Games’ booth and is an avid player of both their Kanzume Goddess card game and Krosmaster: Arena. Darling points to Kanzume Goddess as a game which she can easily teach to someone who’s not a gamer. When playing the deck-building card game, Darling says that she always wants to buy Aquarius, followed by Cancer and Gemini. As for Krosmaster, Darling said that a Queen of the Tofus costume is in the works as well as a King of the Gobballs and went on to premier them at the recent New York Comic Con.

As for her Gen Con experience, Darling says, “I’ll never miss another one.” She regrets that she missed an opportunity for a V.I.P. tour of the True Dungeon experience, but looks forward to fighting a giant or dragon with a party of her own next year.

Darling as Thor Joined by Red Sonja, and Red Son Wonder Woman at LVCE 2013

While Magic: The Gathering is cool with Darling, she is much more enthusiastic about Cards Against Humanity. She’s also a huge fan of Dust Tactics, having painted her own set of figures as well as having cosplayed as the Axis sniper Angela. If Darling had all the money in the world, she says she would want “beautiful hand-painted miniatures of every Dust: Tactics character”. That dream may have to wait, but then again, Darling’s primary panel at the Las Vegas Comic Expo was “The Business of Cosplay”, which saw the cosplayer dispensing advice on how to financially benefit from costuming, so it may be sooner than one might think.

An expectant crowd gathered Saturday evening at the 2013 Las Vegas Comic Expo, awaiting the start of the Cosplay Contest. Judging the event were cosplay guests Brieanna Brock, Toni Darling, Ivy Doomkitty, and Jackie Goehner, while Valerie Perez served as the MC. Perez occasionally made humorous asides as contestants strutted their stuff on stage, but more often, was a reassuring figure in her Wonder Woman costume with all the warmth and charm of Dolly Parton.

Superhero Cotumes Predominate at Las Vegas Comic Expo

One by one contestants stepped onto the stage and turned around to model their costumes. Some delivered lines of dialogue. Kickass and Hit Girl had a lengthy interaction with a good deal of acrobatics involved. Later a second Kickass took the stage, this time with batons. There was a Judge Dredd who took command of the stage, three of the Watchmen in the form of the Comedian, Night Owl, and Rorschach, and a Flame Princess from Adventure Time. A Ghostbuster had to slowly turn to show off his backpack’s elaborate details. The cosplay of Edna E. Mode from The Incredibles had the audience in stitches, while some lesser-known costumes drew polite applause and a good deal of confusion. Solid Snake knelt on stage, pistol at the ready. “Gender bender,” spoken by Valerie Perez, introduced a Captain America as well as a Dr. Who later on. DC had both heroes and villains with a Red Son Superman and a Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Joker. Not to be outdone, Marvel had a Wolverine, an excellent Jubilee, and an original Nick Fury. Kraven the Hunter stalked the stage. Pinky Pie from My Little Pony was exuberant, matched only by the adult Ash from Pokemon, who was met with a roar of laughter when he did his victory pose. There were two separate pairs from web-comic Homestuck and finally two adorable children who shyly wandered about the stage, with the boy in a Captain America costume and his sister in Fantastic 4 get-up as the Invisible Woman.

DC Characters Face Off Against Their Marvel Counterparts While the Judges Deliberate

As the judges conferred all of the contestants piled onto the stage for group pictures including a suggested Marvel vs. DC. At this point Tony Stark must have put the bottle down, because an Iron Man materialized onstage and posed. There was a brief Kickass-Kickass conference before they leapt up onto the stage, bringing Hit Girl with them to photobomb the Marvel vs. DC shoot.

Kickass #2 Looking a Little Panicked About the Kickass Photobomb

The Results

Entertaining Duo: Kickass and Hit Girl

First up were the honorees with the judges recognizing Kickass and Hit Girl. Though they had such good chemistry that they might seem to be brother and sister, Kickass later revealed that the two had only met earlier in the day. With only a quick rehearsal, the pair was quite entertaining. The Hit Girl cosplayer announced “I want to be Hit Girl when I grow up!” and then it was on to fellow honorees Karina Perez and Tiffany Silver as Blondie and Baby Doll from Sucker Punch. Perez won a signed James Stone comic, while her counterpart got a gift certificate to a local bar and grill. For Perez, even the honorable mention was a shock, given how “amazing” her fellow cosplayers were and the fact that it was her first time cosplaying. The acknowledgement has fueled Perez and Silver who would like to expand their Sucker Punch group to include more girls, while individually Perez has begun work on a Power Girl costume.

3rd Place: Anne Marie Page as Rydia

Anne Marie Page as Rydia from Final Fantasy IV

Coming in at third place was Anne Marie Page as Rydia from Final Fantasy IV. Page was a fan of the Heather Irete’s Mami cosplay as well as Josh Dietrich’s Halo ODST Medic. She spent Sunday at the Las Vegas Comic Expo in an Oracle costume, but looks forward to playing Kyoko from Magica Madoka and Hsien-Ko from the Darkstalkers video game. Page has been cosplaying for over five years and has played Sailor Saturn, Chii, and Olette from Kingdom Hearts II.

2nd Place: Josh Dietrich as Halo ODST Medic

Halo ODST Medic Dietrich Waits His Turn

While he took Best in Show in the Sy Fy Channel’s Naked Vegas’ Cosplay Contest the evening before, “both events were fun” for Halo ODST Medic Josh Dietrich, who took second place on Saturday evening. Dietrich is a fireman in the Air Force and also a cast member of Duel at Dusk Productions where he performs under the name of Crow Shadowfire. Earlier on Saturday Dietrich was in a Jedi costume because he also cosplays with the 501st’s Neon Garrison. His ODST costume took him two weeks to build, but he has adding to it over a period of months, describing it as a “work in progress.” The chest, arms, and legs are constructed out of high impact polystyrene with straps and buckles riveted to them. A close look at his costume reveals that his mundane name is painted on just above his visor. In a sense Dietrich is cosplaying as himself or as he puts it, “I basically took my character and said if I joined in 550 years, what would I do? This is pretty much what I would be doing.” As for his own favorite costumes, he favored the manly ones with a lot of props or armor, picking out Judge Dredd, as well as Kraven and Deathstroke. Judge Dredd’s costume had “a lot of detail” and his cosplayed “had the character” down, but Dietrich had praise in general for the contest as well: “a lot of people put a lot of time into all their costumes. It really impressed me.”

Dietrich Pulls the Old Jedi Mind Trick on the 501st’s Neon Garrison Stormtroopers

Buck Steele as Kraven Poses on Saturday Night Once Most of the Audience Has Cleared Out

When Steele went up to receive his prize, the showboating super-menace known as Spiderman jumped up on stage and the two mugged for the cameras, just as they had done earlier in the day in the Exhibitors’ Hall. Steele shared that the hardest part of his costume was keeping his “gut sucked in.” As for which era of Kraven he was playing, Steele easily explained “This is straight-up Steve Ditko. Amazing Spiderman 15, first appearance. I got to take a picture with the book today!”

Best Group: Mami and Team Magpie

Heather Irete as Mami

Next up was the Best Group award with Team Magpie winning. Led by Heather Irete who cosplayed as the character Mami, Team Magpie also consisted of three other members who worked a giant caterpillar creature down over Mami to “swallow” her during the group’s first time on stage. MC Valerie Perez called for an encore performance, “Let’s see her get eaten again!”

Heather Irete as Mami Waits to Get Her Head Eaten Off by Giant Caterpillar

Irete’s no stranger to cosplay, having sewn and attended conventions for the last twelve years. She even has her own online cosplay portfolio, Angelic Threads. Irete was also a panelist earlier in the day at the Cosplay 101 panel. She estimates that her Mami costume took about two months, not counting the wig. “Each wig that I’ve worked on has probably been around ten to twenty hours each; it’s not an easy thing to make.” As for future costumes, Irete was full of enthusiasm as she outlined plans to construct a Tamaki costume from Oran Highschool Host Club, picking a male character who goes in drag in a dress at one point. Irete’s costuming attention is grabbed by anything that is “really silly, sparkly, and shiny”, which the character in the dress will certainly fulfill. She’ll also be wearing an Attack on Titan costume and a Final Fantasy VI costume in early November to AnimeVegas, where Irete is on staff. She’ll be joined by boyfriend Brian, who made up a third of Team Magpie (and is also a consummate board gamer) and together they’ll play Setzer and Daryl.

Best Performance: Andrew Myers as the Zombie

Wonder Woman Defends Herself!

Andrew Myers dragged himself onto stage both when he first shambled his stuff and later when he went to receive his prize for Best Performance. He also spent a good deal of time trying to chase Valerie Perez’s Wonder Woman down, but was a suitably slow predator for her to evade. That and she used the podium for protection as she tried to keep the undead menace at bay, though there may have also been threats to use her Lasso of Truth. She definitely warded Myers off with one of Kickass’s batons.

Andrew Myers as the Zombie Watches Other Competitors Alongside Jubilee

Best Craftsmanship: Manuel Samson as Deathstroke

Deathstroke Brandishes His Blade

While there were a number of contenders for Best Craftsmanship, the title and the prize bag of comics from Cosmic Comics ultimately went to the guy whose completed helmet included a face mask, wood paste, paper mache, cardboard, stucco, a helmet, and a clay mold for the eye piece. In other words: Manuel Samson as Deathstroke. Samson estimates that he spent a month or two on the costume with much of it made out of cardboard including the chest and shoulder pads. Samson is another new convert to cosplay, having only done it since June, when he cosplayed as Black Mask from Batman at the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con. Samson was particularly taken with the artistry and effect achieved by the Dragon Ball Z cosplay of Frieza, which featured a lot of body paint.

Manuel Samson as Deathstroke Joined by Friends: Inspector Gadget, Data, and RCPD Officer

Best in Show: Samantha Nicole as the Painted Doll

The contest came to a close with the Best in Show award, with the winner receiving a Captain America statue limited to 250 copies. In the end the prize went to Arizona resident Samantha Nicole as the Painted Doll from the film The Devil’s Carnival. Samantha Nicole was elated with her win saying, “I feel so honored and it’s really, really awesome.” Not only did she win Best in Show, but it was Nicole’s first time ever entering a costume contest! She got her start in January 2013 when a friend told her that she “sucked at sewing”, so Samantha Nicole set out to prove her wrong and it seems to have worked!

Samantha Nicole as the Painted Doll Joined by Fantasy Comic Character Knightingail

In “The Devil’s Carnival” the Painted Doll is played by actress and singer Emilie Autumn. Samantha Nicole is a huge fan and will be returning to Las Vegas later this month to see Autumn perform live at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. For Nicole cosplay is also an expression of her fandom as she loves the movie, the character, and the artist who plays the Painted Doll. As for her next costumes, she’s working on a Jean Gray/Phoenix costume, but would also like to cosplay as a Gatoman from Digimon as “nerdy” as that may be. There may also be a Poison Ivy “with roses in her hair” in her near future, based off of the Batgirl Begins episodes from the third season of the animated The Batman.

Samantha Nicole Displaying the Mannerisms of the Painted Doll with Knightingail

Samantha Nicole’s Captain America statue will stand “with pride” on her desk and keep watch over the cosplayer as she continues to prove her friend wrong. Appropriately enough, two of Nicole’s favorite costumes at the contest were the Invisible Woman and Captain America, worn by a brother and sister pair. “I really loved the little kids. They just stole my heart.”

All of the Cosplay Contest Contestants Including the Adorable Invisible Woman and Captain America

For more pictures from Las Vegas Comic Expo 2013 and further articles about the convention, be sure to visit Craven Games on Facebook.

At the recent 2013 Las Vegas Comic Expo some of the top HeroClix players in the country gathered for two days of tournament action. The crowning achievements in HeroClix organized play are the World Championships, which first took place at Gen Con in 2007. Beginning with Gen Con 2013, WizKids split the title into a Modern Age Champion and a Golden Age Champion. The Salt Lake City contingent at the Comic Expo was led by current Modern Age HeroClix World Champion Jake “Jeterey” Williams who brought two of his friends with him on the six-hour drive from Utah. Southern California players Pat Yapojco and Justin Jimenez – also familiar faces from Gen Con 2013 – brought even more friends from the LA area. Judging and organizing the event was another top player, Dustin Hall, who would have loved to play in it. In both 2011 and 2012 Hall was in the Top 10 at the World Championships. Also missing out on the playing action at the LVCE was Roland Wellington, a 2013 World Champion Top 8 finisher, who was manning the Cosmic Comics booth inside the exhibition hall at the expo. Wellington also has the distinction of having the first Masterpiece figure designed after winning the 2005 Wizard World HeroClix Championship Invitational Series in Los Angeles, selecting Wolverine as his figure. Saturday started with a Golden Age tournament and then switched to a charity tournament in the evening with the best prizes reserved for Sunday’s Modern Age tournament.

Golden Age Tournament: September 28

Team bases were predominant in Saturday’s Golden Age tourney with several New Mutant team bases, two X-Men Blue Strike Forces and one Hellfire Club. Other players favored figures on slightly smaller bases, including reigning Modern Champ Jake Williams, whose team revolved around Gotham City Police Department Cruisers.

Player Profile – Jake “Jeterey” Williams

From: Salt Lake City, UTDay Job: Club DJ and Concert Promoter. Williams has a whole team of Go Go dancers who think it’s “hilarious” that he “plays with little plastic guys on the weekend. I can be at a club DJing on a Friday night and the next day be playing in a comic shop.”Began Playing: 2004, 2005, “right after Legacy came out”.Favorite HeroClix Piece: “White Lantern Sinestro. It’s a fun figure, retired now, but it’s a really fun figure to play.”Strategy for Golden Age:“To win? Kill them before they kill me.” Williams wanted to run people over with G.C.P.D. Cruisers again, with Talia from Batman Alpha and a Paramedic in his force as well. Williams devised the team after first coming up with another team that would beat everything except for cop cars/GCPD, so that’s the team he went with instead.Favorite Power: “Any time you can deal damage without rolling the dice! Poison… there’s Star Trek ships with mines that do 3 damage.”HC Realms Activity: Williams says he’s on it A LOT. “You have to though, because with all the powers, the questions, the rules, the new combos, if you don’t keep up on that stuff, someone else will and that someone else will beat you. I don’t mind getting outplayed, but I hate when I get beat by something that I just didn’t prepare for because I didn’t see it coming, you know, I didn’t study or I didn’t look it up. That’s when I get frustrated at myself.”Other Games Played and Comics Read: None. He might pick up the WizKids Attack Wing game, “because it looks kind of fun.” The thing he likes about HeroClix is once you know how the game plays. it doesn’t matter if it’s Star Trek, Pacific Rim, or one of the video game franchises, the mechanics are the same. “Once you learn those mechanics, you’ve learned the game.” As for comics, Williams has read “a couple of Batmans over the years, one or two Marvel.” For him, it’s all about the game: “Can you outthink them? Can you bait them, can you get them? I like the strategy part of the game. That’s my favorite part of it. The superheroes are a bonus. That’s not why I play the game.”Tokens: HC Realms tokens.

Williams explained that the age of turtling that saw HeroClix players KO an opponent’s piece and try to hide until time ran out is long over. “What was working a year ago isn’t working now. The game now is more about the Alpha Strike. If you can get across the map before they can and you can do a lot more damage than they can, right off the bat, that’s really what the game’s come to.” Williams quickly won his first match and was soon joined in victory by all of his Gen Con peers. Williams had time to elaborate: “We’re seeing figures coming out that can do 21-24 clicks of damage first turn. Ghost Rider with +2 Flurry and Heroes for Hire can do a ton of damage first turn. You can do crazy amounts of damage right now. It’s kind of a balance though. How can you withstand the Alpha Strike, but how can you also hit them before they hit you? It’s fun though. I’m having as much fun playing the game now as ever.”

Fresno player Frank Martinez had a dominating presence as he played, looking more like a linebacker than anything else as he scored several victories before he came to tower over Justin Jimenez. But Martinez was apprehensive as he acknowledged his opponent’s force, “The Blue Strike Team Bases are vicious. Realistically I’m going to have to deliver a lot of damage early before he starts popping off his characters, because he’s going to drastically increase his force size as compared to mine. So I’m going to have to hope that Madame Webb ends on a good ability. She’s random. I’m playing with Lady Luck here in Las Vegas; I am a gambling man, that’s why I brought the team I brought.” As it happened, Martinez’s luck ran out and Jimenez defeated the Fresno police officer.

Player Profile – Frank Martinez

From: Fresno, CAHome Store: DJ’s Comics and CollectiblesDay Job: Police officer.Began Playing: June, 2012, around Batman: Streets of Gotham and No Man’s LandFavorite HeroClix Piece: “Marvel 10th Anniversary Thor with the lightning backdrop, Avengers Initiative, Running Shot, 11 Attack, 4 Damage, with a solid defense. He’s not playable competitively; he lacks certain abilities and additional team abilities that make him successful. Even if I put a Bat Belt on him, I have to use another piece to get him across the board. Really, Heroes for Hire is so hot everyone has to play it. He lacks the multiple attacks that they have.”Golden Age Strategy: “My premise is to get Alpha Strike. Obviously with the introduction of Shatterstar into the game from Wolverine & X-Men, and this being Golden Age, I’m able to utilize a lower-point character like Iron Fist who has an incredible attack and damage power and attack abilities, as in he can penetrate defenses or I can do multiple attacks. Coupled with the ATA of Heroes for Hire, I can get off possibly 4 attacks, up to 12 damage in one turn. Madame Web is a support piece that transports across the board to support Iron Fist and Shatterstar. Madame Web can be given a power action and she can be placed near friendlies.”Other Games Played: None. But Martinez has a “very extensive comic book habit”, favoring Superman and Thor. The sculpts of those figures are what got him into HeroClix. Between his wife and kids and his work in law enforcement, HeroClix is all that he has time for. As for whether he plays HeroClix with his children, Martinez said of his son, “He knows Super Senses, but he’s still too young.”

The Final Bout: Blue on Blue, Justin Jimenez vs. Pat Yapojco

A loud whoop of “Blue on Blue!” signaled the end of the third round as a player realized that Justin Jimenez and Pat Yapojco’s X-Men Blue Strike Force team bases would be having a doppleganger fight with one another. The strength of the Blue Strike Force is something that Jake Williams has come to respect. He got caught at Dragon*Con by that particular team base when it was brand new. In that bout it was Gambit who stunned Williams, when the character’s Energy Explosion hit Williams’ whole team for 5. Lesson learned! “You can study and prepare as much as you want, but there still could be something out there, some trick or mechanic that you didn’t prepare for, that just catches you off [guard],” Williams advised. However for Jimenez and Yapojco there would be no surprises as both knew the team base inside and out.

Player Profile – Pat “spawn10” Yapjoco

From: Costa Mesa, CADay Job: Owner of two Majestix Comics & Games stores, one in Huntington Beach and the other in Costa Mesa, CA.Home Store: His own Majestix stores (primarily Huntington Beach)!Began Playing HeroClix: 2002Favorite HeroClix Piece: Web of Spiderman Bullseye. “He can ignore Stealth, Supersenses, and Shapechange. I hate Supersenses and Shapechange! Those are the worst powers. He just hits. His attack is high. He’s got good stats. He’s not broken, he’s just efficient.”About Majestix: The store in Huntington Beach has four glass cases with just singles, each one four feet high. In the area they are the only store selling singles consistently. “People are always trading, selling, and buying. Even if it’s sold out, we have them. Gotham, Chaos War Fast Forces, Marvel 10th, DC 10th. We have a really, really big stock.” Despite his large stock, Yapjoco borrows a lot of stuff from other players, preferring to sell everything that he can at his store. Yapjoco would sell prizes won at tournaments like the LVCE’s R.O.C. or turn around and use them himself in his own Majestix events.Golden Age Strategy for X-Men Blue: “Just make sure I don’t miss an attack, because they can do a lot of damage. And one of their abilities is they basically don’t miss.” Yapjoco picked the X-Men Blue Strike Force based on what he and his Majestix team have “been playing. We don’t know what else to expect. We tested against various archetypes. The consensus seems to be that we have the best chance against everything.”

Yapojco has attended and played in Gen Con’s HeroClix tournaments for the last three years, finishing in the Top 32 last year after going 1-1 in the finals. Unfortunately his points weren’t high enough to move onto the Final 16. Jiminez has much less experience, but had higher rankings at Gen Con 2013, placing in the Top 8 in the Modern Championship and the Top 16 in Golden Age. Returning to Saturday afternoon’s action, Gambit remained firmly in place on both players’ Team Bases during the battle which was characterized by Yapojco’s methodical, patient gameplay.

Yapojco’s patience was eventually rewarded with victory over Jimenez, but both players’ Team Bases were nearly stripped bare of their figures by the end of the tit-for-tat match that witnessed both players sacrificing models to ensure successful attacks using one of the X-Men’s special powers.

X-Men Blue Team Bases Clash! Both Still Have Their Gambits and Rogues

Saturday Evening Charity Tournament

Saturday evening’s Charity Tournament was quite a success, raising $465 for St. Jude’s Children Hospital. The $5 entry fee for each player was far eclipsed by the tournament’s allowance of a dice reroll for a $1 donation. $105 was raised because of the epic 12-minute dice reroll-off between two opponents in just one of the the tournament’s games. Justin Jimenez eventually won the tournament and five Phoenix Force HeroClix surrounded by transparent plastic flames for his efforts.

ROCs, The Path to Gen Con and Dragon*Con, and the World Championships

Despite having some of the top Heroclix players in the entire world present, there was still a lot of confusion about the ROC nature of the tournament or even just what R.O.C. stands for. The R.O.C. is the Realms Open Championship, which is a series of regional tournament qualifiers culminating in the Open HeroClix Championship(s) at Dragon*Con in Atlanta. Created and sponsored by HCRealms.com, the first set of six ROCs ended at Dragon*Con 2013. Many at the Las Vegas Realms Open Championship at LVCE thought that the event was the first in the next series of ROCs in the expanded program for the 2014 season. In fact though, according to ROC Director Howard Brock, the designation of the LVCE tournament as a ROC event was more of a favor than anything else, a personal favor which was also extended to a September event in Kentucky. The actual ROC 2014 season will begin in December and end at Dragon*Con 2014.

While the Las Vegas players seemed to be enjoying themselves, it was evident that many expected a larger turnout. In terms of attendance, the Majestix Open Series 1K R.O.C., which was held in April, far surpassed Las Vegas Comic Expo’s showing of perhaps 16 players. The Majestix 1K drew about 100 people, according to Majestix owner Pat Yapojco, with many traveling from Utah, Nevada, and Oregon to participate as well as Northern and Southern California. For Yapojco the prestige of the event was key and he called it “the best competition in California.”

The 2014 ROC Season Explained

At the LVCE ROC, Dustin Hall collected and examined team rosters, answered rules questions, kept the time, and made periodic announcements as the clock wound down, but Hall had a hard time elaborating the specifics of the ROC points that players would collect by participating or naming an exact dollar amount for the finals at Dragon*Con. On October 4, ROC Director Howard Brock clarified a great number of things over the phone. For starters, when Hall applied for the event to be a part of the ROC, the ROC organizers “weren’t ready,” but wanted to throw Hall a bone and allowed him to term it a ROC tournament. But calling it a ROC event is a bit of a misnomer since ROC events are characterized by physical prize support and the host must pay for the tournament package that HCRealms supplies. Nevertheless, the winner of the LVCE ROC will receive 100 ROC points for playing.

For the 2014 season, HCRealms is joining forces with TCGPlayer.com to launch a host of Super Qualifiers and other ROC events throughout the United States, Canada, and even England. What were previously known as ROC Regionals will now be called Super Qualifiers. The ROC is also doing away with travel vouchers and Dragon*Con badges as prizes, which Brock identified as being underutilized by winning players. Instead players will have the chance to win Limited Edition convention prizes, hats, trophies, and ranking cards. The cost of purchasing a Super Qualifier tournament pack has also dropped from $1000 to $650 with more prizes offered now than in the past. T-shirts have also been abandoned in favor of hats due to the difficulty and hassle involved in providing players the proper-sized shirts. Deluxe play mat maps using mousepad material are also in the works for prizing, Brock was particularly excited to add.

Super Qualifiers, Qualifiers, and League Play

The top tier of ROC play will be the Super Qualifiers, which will cost $650. Hosts, whether they be conventions or game stores, can purchase and run the Super Qualifiers with many stores like Majestix in Southern California already signed up to run events in December. Besides any other prizes, the first place winner of a ROC tournament will win a card for 100 ROC points. While the points can be used to gain entry into the Dragon*Con Realms Open Championship, the card can also be traded, sold, auctioned, or given away. Additionally there is a third possible use of the card, which will be accessible via TCGPlayer; players will be able to use their ROC points cards at the website for prizes in the HeroClix section, but must mail the physical card(s) in. The suggested entry fee for Super Qualifier players is $25.

Qualifiers are smaller events with only 20 ROC points going to the winner, besides any other prizes. Their cost will be $200 with a suggested entry fee of $15. League kits are only $100 with a suggested entry fee of $10. Brock pointed out that a store owner would recoup the cost with only 10 players. Sticking with tens, League winners will also earn 10 ROC Points.

Top 32 to Split $20,000 and Other Prizes at Dragon*Con

There will be a Super Qualifier on Friday night at next year’s Dragon*Con, which will be followed on Saturday morning by Heat 1 with Heat 2 on Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning will have Swiss-format semi-finals before the tournament ends Sunday afternoon in single elimination. The ROC Points Cards come into play in bypassing the early qualifiers. Owners of a 100 Points card can exchange it for entry into Heat 2 on Saturday while 200 Points can buy one’s way into Sunday morning’s semi-finals.

Brock confirmed that the Top 32 players will receive cash prizes in addition to the many other HeroClix prizes up for grabs with the total pot being $20,000. The official ROC announcement with even more details on the division of the $20,000 as well as WizKids’ involvement is forthcoming, delayed in part due to WizKids’ full plate at the Alliance Open House this weekend, October 4-6.

Justin Jimenez’s Modded Iron Fist Attracted a Lot of Attention

But speaking of prizes, Modern Champ Jake Williams said of his Gen Con win, “WizKids really took care of me on prize support. I got a lot of stuff to sell.” He clarified that his World Championship winnings ended up paying for his trip to Dragon*Con as well. As part of being a World Champion, Williams also gets to help design a Masterpiece figure and chose the Batman villainess Harley Quinn for that honor, but could not disclose any details of the upcoming figure.

As for the World Championships, which are held at Gen Con, players can gain entry typically only by playing at WizKids-run events or by playing directly at Gen Con in a series of grinders. Another route is via HeroClix Online. That’s how Roland Wellington won his “buy” for Gen Con 2013. In the process, he needed to go through Jake Williams online and beat him, which forced Jeterey to work his way through the grinders to gain his eventual championship. While Wellington obviously did not fare as well offline, he did place in the Top 8 in Modern.

Player Profile – Roland Wellington

From: Las Vegas, NVDay Job: Cosmic ComicsBegan Playing: “Day 4. HeroClix debuted on a Wednesday. I went to my local store for Friday Night Magic; I was a senior in college. I played and I had one of those Magic nights where you just get stomped. My deck did not work; I lost to two kids. I was ready to throw something (I was a little younger then). So I dropped. I walked by and saw that on the Mage Knight table they had Hulk fighting Spiderman and I was like ‘What IS this?!’ They told me the game. I bought my starter the next day. Been playing ever since.”Favorite HeroClix Piece: Ultimate Thor from the Ultimates set. “The way that figure is designed is it’s just a monster of a figure. We love it. Me and my friends are big wrestling fans, so that figure got the nickname Triple H, because we kept wanting him to play Thor if they ever made the movie. I remember one time I was doing a training session with some of my younger friends and they really weren’t using him right. I was like ‘No, in this situation you want to attack, you want to go.’ And they were trying to Break Away or something. And me and my buddy said ‘No, you need to do this! And do you know why? Because THOR HITS FOR 5!’ So that saying, ‘Thor hits for 5,’ has just become a saying where it means do what that figure needs to do, just attack and punch someone in the face. He’s kind of the epitome of that philosophy. He does crazy amounts of damage. Just that way that the figure is designed, he’s designed to be pushed, he’s designed to hit Mystics, he’s designed to do stuff that you’re not supposed to do. A couple years ago we had a high level tournament in town for a chase Dr. Manhattan and I was running Thor in one of the teams and it was an old school one and and a buddy of mine was playing a Wildcard Mystic Abuse team and he’s sitting there and he’s like ‘I know Roland. He’s not going to push Thor.’ Nope, I’m pushing Thor on a Mystic and do you know why? Because HE HITS FOR 5, that’s what he’s supposed to do. Just annihilated his team in like three turns. So yeah, Triple H.”HeroClix Online: “I’m currently, right now, the top ranked online player on HeroClix Online. I’m also the commissioner of the Online Free League and we’re starting our next season coming up in November. It’s up and running fully. They’ve got all the kinks kicked out of the UI. They’re growing the fan base, they’re growing the gameplay. I tell all my players in physical life, you guys really need to play this online because it really tightens up your game. It really does getting you knowing the proper procedures and the order of operations. It’s a really good learning tool for physical players as well. It doesn’t leave room for mistakes. If you miss something online, then you miss it. That’s why it really tightens up players’ games.”

Sunday Modern Age Championship

Compared to the previous day, Sunday’s HeroClix tournament was surrounded in an air of secrecy. Team rosters were covered up to protect them from other players’ eyes and there was no discussion about them. The players would be fighting for Top 8 ranking with first choice of the eight prizes going to the first place winner and down the line as each player would draft their rewards. The best prizes were the sealed “bricks” of Fear Itself (1) and Wolverine & The X-Men (2) with Limited Edition figures Shuma Gorath and the Trinity of Evil rounding them out, as well as other chase figures from Dustin Hall’s private collection. But once play began it was clear that for most of the top players, the tournament was truly about bragging rights and honor.

Pat Yapojco and Justin Jimenez received buys from their placement the day before, leaving other players to duke it out. Jake Williams quickly tabled his Las Vegas opponent. Others eventually followed with many of the vanquished going on to compete in a $25 sealed event because the Modern Age tournament was single elimination. Many of the teams in the Top 8 included Iron Fist, Shatterstar, and Madame Web, including Frank Martinez’s team. Martinez ended up finishing in 5th place and selected the Trinity of Evil as his prize when his turn came up. He was also all smiles once eliminated and was encouraged by his showing, promising to get even better at competitive HeroClix.

Modern Age Players (L to R): Pat Yapojco, Frank Martinez, Jake Williams All in a Row

The Final Four

In the penultimate round, Pat Yapojco faced off across from Jake Williams, while Justin Jimenez battled against Las Vegan Alex Pereda. Faces were grim as dice were rolled and figures moved across the map. There were no shouts of exultation, though more than one competitor grimaced, while occasional spectators drifted up to catch snippets of the games. In the Golden Age tournament Alex Pereda had wound up on the bottom tables, but his mixed Modern Age force served him much better.

Player Profile – Alex Pereda

From: Las Vegas, NVHome Store:Maximum Comics #2Day Job: Shipping and receiving in a warehouse.Began Playing: February, 2012.Favorite HeroClix Piece: Secret Invasion Namor. “Nobody ever goes ‘Namor, he’s my favorite!’ Namor is the first character that I got. He was in there. I didn’t play him until later. Oh my god, this guy is so awesome. He does so much strong stuff, deals out a lot of damage, which is comic-accurate, that’s what the character does.”Tokens: Poker chips, because “they just make the board look much neater.” He used to use small dice.Other Games Played: DC Deck Builder: “it’s really, really fun!”. “I played Magic for a while. This [HeroClix] grabbed my attention way more. This is way more fun.” Pereda has enjoyed trying new board games that he’s seen demoed, such as Munchkin – Axe Hero on Saturday evening at the Las Vegas Comic Expo.On Team Bases: “I like competitive stuff. The only problem I have with the game is the Team Bases. It takes the fun out of building a team.”

Pereda’s mixed force was eventually overwhelmed by Jimenez’s, while the adjoining table witnessed a string of bad luck as Williams rolled a 4, 4, 3, 4 on his attack rolls and re-rolls during one round. What made the bad luck even harsher for Williams was the fact that he had allowed Yapojco to Perplex his Team Base’s Defense stat up by 1 at the start of his own turn, Yapojco having forgotten to do so at the end of his own turn. Such lenience is not possible on HeroClix Online, which is one of the reasons that Roland Wellington encourages use of the program as a training tool, but having extended the courtesy to Yapojco, Williams was obliged to watch as his own team was destroyed, leaving him in third place. Williams took it in stride and both he and Alex Pereda plan on a Gen Con 2014 presence.

The Modern Age Finals: Pat Yapojco vs. Justin Jimenez

Immediately after defeating Justin Jimenez the day before, Pat Yapojco returned to teammate and mentor mode and began offering the younger player advice on what he should have done differently. Together they had come to the consensus that running the X-Men Blue Strike Forces afforded the best chance of winning the Golden Age tournament. They also based their Modern Age forces, in part, around what they had seen used in Saturday’s games. In the end, Yapojco switched to the more affordable New Mutants Team Base with the addition of the devastating Shatterstar, while Jimenez switched to a team made up of his beloved Iron Fist, Spiral, a Batcycle, and two cardboard Warbot pogs. Both teams had done well, but now the two Majestix players faced off again.

Jimenez’s Bat Cycle Spews Smoke in an Attempt to Block Line of Fire

Jimenez set up defensively and put up Smoke Clouds, preparing to receive an Alpha Strike. Using a retractable string to measure Line of Fire, Yapojco shot at Jimenez’s clustered figures and scored a hit. He followed up by teleporting behind Jimenez’s lines with Shatterstar and Rictor. The seismic-themed superhero launched a Quake. It looked grim for Jimenez, but according to him, it was all part of the plan: “When he first came in, I was a little worried, but I knew that Iron Fist could still catch him. The crit hit made it even sweeter. He actually helped me when he critted me.” With some of his figures suffering Knock Back from the doubles rolled on the crit hit, they were forced out of base-to-base contact with Shatterstar and Rictor, which freed them up considerably.

The Alpha Strike: Shatterstar and Rictor Appear Within Jimenez’s Lines and Rictor Quakes

Jimenez’s main response was to dismount Iron Fist from his cool Bat ride and move him over towards the Team Base. “I picked Flurry because I had looked at the dial before because 5 damage either way puts him on his last click, because he’s got Toughness, so I do 4 and 4 for 8, he’s 9 clicks deep. Basically what I was going for was to do let him do first strike, because he’s going to do it no matter what and I was going to put him on his last click.” Iron Fist proceeded to do just that (and maybe a bit more) and soon the Team Base was no more, leaving Iron Fist and Spiral to mop up Shatterstar and Rictor, which secured first place for Justino.

When asked if the results were a bit like Obi-Wan versus Darth Vader, Jimenez agreed saying that Pat “struck me down yesterday” during the Golden Age Blue on Blue game and added that it was a “very rough, rough map” that Pat had picked the day before. While this was his first time for top honors in an important HeroClix tournament, based on his strong showing in all three of the weekend’s events and his past performance at Gen Con, it’s safe to say that it won’t be Justin Jimenez’s last.

Player Profile – Justin “Justino” Jimenez

From: Montebello, CAHome Store: Majestix (primarily Huntington Beach)Day Job: Electrical engineer on a railroad, “making sure trains don’t crash into each other.”Began Playing: Infinity Challenge [2002]. Justino began playing competitively a year ago.Favorite HeroClix Piece: Nightcrawler from Web of Spiderman. “That’s where you can just go and pop out, and grab someone, hit them, pull ’em back, drag them, and basically beat them up again.” He also later added that Iron Fist also tops his list: “Iron Fist with the Utility Belt is an absolute beast. Being able to put +2s on all your guy’s stats, he’s got Combat Reflexes, ignores everything, so you cannot lock him down. The only thing that can lock him down is a cop car, but usually when you put +2s on him, he’ll be hitting you for 12 damage and will take out a cop car in one shot. He’s just one of the most versatile, very low point cost characters. If you match him up with other Heroes for Hire he can be just so deadly with the new ATA [Alternative Team Ability].”Tokens: Poker chips (black and white).Other Games Played: Settlers of Catan with his family. “I have two brothers, two sisters. Five people everyday at Catan is pretty intense.” Risk, Monopoly, Dominion. Family Business, “It’s a mobster game.” Nothing Personal, “I bought it at Gen Con. You basically go through this list of gangsters, but it looks good.” Xbox 360 and PS3. He doesn’t play any other CMGs because it would be too much money he would be spending. He used to play chess when he was younger and in 8th grade he won a Southern California Unified School District chess tournament. Jimenez contrasted chess with HeroClix: “The only difference is the dice roll. In chess, there is no dice roll. You make good moves and depending on how you position, you can trap other figures. You can manipulate. When I use my background when I build and move teams or move people into a certain position, it’s because everything’s for a reason. If you’re going to put someone here, is it because you want them to overextend? All those things count. The only thing is, this is more advanced, it’s a little bit more fun, it’s a little bit more versatile. The superheroes are more childhood-oriented.”Craziest In Game Experience: “At the Majestix 1K, I had a Hobgoblin basically Alpha Strike, TK’d out, Running Shot, Pulse Wave and rolls two 6’s and does I think 16 worth of damage to all my characters and put tokens on all my guys. I was pretty much done after that. I lost that game. I could deal with everyone taking 1, but it was just 2-2-2 and Knockback damage. It was crazy.”Golden Age Strategy for X-Men Blue Team Base: “X-Men Blue’s got a really, really deep defense and with their new special [power], Invincible it’s really good. Jeterey who obviously won with the cars [at Gen Con], I’m expecting maybe one or two people to play that, if they do play that. Basically the cars do 1 unavoidable damage, but Invincible says that you ignore half damage dealt, so unless you deal more than 2 damage, you can’t hurt X-Men Blue, so there comes a point where you hit that power and the cop cars can’t bump. And that was Jeterey’s famous trick when he played Massu, he bumped him to death and didn’t even have to roll. I had a very similar team to him, but one thing that was very tough was that I didn’t win map rolls, so it’s hard to run up and down stairs with a car; they’re not built for that.”

The Las Vegas Comic Expo returns this weekend to Las Vegas, hosted at the Riviera Hotel and Casino and runs from September 28 to September 29. The weekend show will pack in some big names and talent including comic book legend Neal Adams (Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern-Green Arrow), Joe Benitez (the exceptionally illustrated steampunk-themed Lady Mechanika), and Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets), and Image Comics co-founder Whilce Portacio among dozens of other comic book writers and artists. Among the celebrity guests, male gamers who grew up in the 1990s will recognize Donna D’errico (Baywatch), while everyone should know the hulking form of Lou Ferrigno. The Excorcist’sLinda Blair has high billing along with True Blood’sKristin Bauer, but for sci-fi/fantasy fans and gamers alike, who could beat Sylvester McCoy? Sure, he played the seventh Dr. Who, which by itself is platinum in geek culture, but he’s also Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit! It’s not too often that you get a chance to meet someone who has a miniature sculpted in his likeness (though that may change thanks to Mimic Miniatures Personalized Gaming Miniatures Kickstarter).

Tickets are $25 per day per person or $45 for the whole weekend at the door, but if you pre-register tonight (September 25), you can get in for $35 for the weekend or $20 a day. Doors open at 10 AM and close on Saturday at 7PM and 5PM on Sunday, though on Saturday night there will be a Cosplay Contest running from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM, much like San Diego Comic-Con’s Masquerade. But compared to SDCC, the Las Vegas Comic Expo (LVCE) is a much more intimate affair, with an attendance last year of just over 7,000. This year attendance is expected to remain consistent, if not exceed the inaugural year, which featured comic creators like Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy. Panels will run throughout Saturday and Sunday this weekend on topics ranging from “Zombies and Pop Culture”, “Women in Comics” to “Fantasy Writers” to “Promote Your Comic Book or Die”. While larger comic conventions have multiple competing panels, at the LVCE attendees will only have to choose from either the Main or Annex panels, so seating may be limited, especially at focused panels spotlighting a celebrity such as Sunday’s “Sylvester McCoy: The Hobbit” and “Kristen Bauer” on Saturday.

Gaming at the Las Vegas Comic Expo

The LVCE isn’t only about comic books, fantasy, science fiction, and popular culture, of course. It will also offer a lot of gaming, including many demos of games to the general public featuring King of Tokyo, Heroclix, X-Wing Miniatures, and Netrunner, which should be easy enough for casual gamers to pick up. On Sunday AEG’s Legend of the 5 Rings card game will be demoed from 11:00 AM-4:00 PM, which sounds like just enough time for a beginner to learn the mechanics of the incredibly complex card game. Roleplaying games will be supported with a strong Pathfinder contingent providing Beginner Box Bashes throughout the day in addition to Pathfinder Society Scenarios Mists of Mwangi, Black Waters, both parts of The City of Strangers, and one of the newest scenarios, PSS 05-04 The Stolen Heir, wherein heroes attempt to rescue a nobleman’s daughter, as well as the high-level PSS 05-05 The Elven Entanglement. For a full list of Pathfinder organized play at the Comic Expo, check out the Warhorn listings.

Gaming Tournaments at the LVCE

Shuma Gorath in All His/Her/Its Glory!

Besides the demos of board, card, and roleplaying games, the LVCE will also incorporate a number of tournaments. On Saturday afternoon Patrick Booth will be running an entry-level Ascension tournament, followed by a DC Deckbuilder Tournament on Sunday. The winner of Ascension will take home a voucher for the newly-released Darkness Unleashed expansion, with the DC Deckbuilder winner receiving a voucher for the as-of-yet-unreleased DC2, which will release in December. Both come courtesy of Avatar Comics and Games. New players to Ascension can try out the game before the tournament, during the earlier demo sessions, and simply need to pony up the $5 to participate in the tournament, with all cards and counters supplied by Avatar. Las Vegas’s largest dedicated gaming store, Little Shop of Magic, will be running Magic: The Gathering tournaments on Saturday and Sunday based on Friday’s release of the much-anticipated Theros expansion with prize support coming from the store. Meanwhile Maximum Comics will provide prize support and run HeroClix tournaments on each day, as well as Marvel Legendary and Star Wars LCG tournaments. Prizes for Heroclix include such convention exclusive figures as Shuma Gorath (from Dr. Strange) and the Trinity of Sin (from DC Comics’ recent Trinity War), which have attracted the notice of some of the top contenders at the recent Heroclix World Championships, which were held in August at Gen Con, according to Dustin Hall. Hall, the LVCE Games Director, has already received notice of players traveling from Utah and California to compete. For an overview of prize support and tournament entry fees, please refer to the LVCE’s gaming page. As for miniature games such as Warhammer 40K or Warmachine/Hordes convention games organizer Dustin Hall says that there are plans to address that portion of the gaming community next year.

And Plenty of Cosplay

Besides Saturday evening’s Cosplay Contest, there will be many cosplay-themed panels and cosplayers in evidence at the LVCE. Cosplay queen Jacqueline Goehner is just one of many female cosplayers who will be sitting in on panels like “Cosplay 101”, “Kids Cosplay”, and “Business of Cosplay”. Goehner will be debuting her Starfire costume which will – based on her Witchblade costume worn at previous conventions – leave little to the imagination. While Starfire is an orange-skinned super heroine famous from DC’s Teen Titans, Goehner will also be cosplaying as Midna the Twilight Princess from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which should see her a bit more clothed. Goehner’s panel participation will include one on wig making and styling, another on making a body cast, and another on the process of making a Witchblade costume. Besides her Starfire and Midna costumes, Goehner also plans on cosplaying Wonder Woman and has plans for a fourth costume, but admits that she probably will not finish it in time for the convention.

Goehner as Witchblade and Herself: At LVCE She Will Unveil Her Starfire and Midna Costumes

Brieanna Brock as Aqua Woman at Phoenix Comic-Con

Also going as her favorite character of Wonder Woman will be Brieanna Brock, but she will be playing as the Red Son version of the character. In the Red Son universe created by Mark Millar, Superman is raised by Soviets instead of the Kents in Kansas. The Wonder Woman of that universe is much grimmer in appearance. Not to worry, the second character Brock will be playing is Leila from Code Geass, who will add a bit of color in with her costume. Brock’s Red Son Wonder Woman will be bolstered by a Red Son Power Girl and several other Red Son-inspired DC characters. Brock will be busy at the LVCE leading the Cosplaying 101 panel and helping the other panelists as the cosplay director. Brock has recently branched out past the superhero genre into the twin worlds of anime and manga which is what led her from only having read Death Note to exploring the world of Code Geass. As she says of her choice of Leila, “I love powerful characters that are portrayed as leaders and also value a team.” Both of the costumes are brand new for Brieanna Brock, who loves the challenge that a new costume provides. Speaking of her Red Son Wonder Woman Brock says “it was definitely a challenge and after being finished I feel proud to bring that inspiration to life. Showing it off is fun too, it’s a perfect opportunity to educate others about the character, the series, and cosplaying in general.”

In the female-dominated world that is cosplay, there are pockets of masculinity, which will be represented at the Las Vegas Comic Expo by the 501st Neon Garrison of Stormtroopers who will be featured in their own panel on Saturday.

The First Las Vegas Comic Expo

Zombie vs. Human Shirts

In 2012, Ralph Mathieu, owner of Las Vegas’ own Alternate Reality Comics attended and exhibited at the first Las Vegas Comic Expo and spoke highly of the experience as well as his vendor sales. Mathieu is particularly looking forward to seeing writer Gerry Conway at this year’s expo. Conway co-created The Punisher, helped kill off Gwen Stacy, and created the DC character Firestorm, but it’s his Spiderman-Superman crossover which Mathieu holds in particularly high esteem. Alternate Reality Comics is joined by many other Las Vegas local comic book stores in the exhibitors’ hall including Maximum Comics, Avatar Comics and Games, and Comic Oasis. Avatar chief Kristian Norberg said that the previous year was a “success” for his store and ran “fairly well”, paying for the booth rental and then some. Besides selling comics and merchandise to attendees, Norberg was able to take in and enjoy the Artists’ Alley at the 2012 LVCE. Any fears he had of a comic convention fiasco, such as the one Las Vegas witnessed in 2003 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, were allayed by his experience the first year.

And Other Exhibitors

L.A.-based Zombie vs. Human will be exhibiting at the Las Vegas Comic Expo, selling a variety of men’s and women’s T-shirts with zombie themes, all in an effort for customers to be prepared “for the zombie apocalypse”. For proprietor Aaron Berg, the Comic Expo is a chance to be among like-minded company for whom their clothing line requires little to no explanation.

Ever since I first used a Card-Boards Card Holder at a friend’s house, I’ve been hooked on the devices and want to use them in every game that uses more than three playing cards. $15 gets you four of the attractive, smooth, wooden holders from Card-Boards, located in Orem, Utah. I sprung for eight of them because the Card Holders really are that useful. It may be hyperbole to claim that the boards revolutionize card games, but now that I have used them, I don’t want to go back to spending 15-90 minutes holding a hand of cards. Imagine playing Scrabble without the tray for your letter tiles and you’ll begin to understand the true worth of Card-Boards.

AEG’s Guildhall Cards are Easily Sorted Using a Card-Board

While Card-Boards.com owner David Hacking originally made his card holders for family games of Ticket to Ride, they are useful and usable for almost any card game where players need to hold a private hand of cards. Hacking’s now sold over 2,000 of the boards and it’s easy to see why. Measuring 10″ by 3.75″ wide by 0.75″ tall, a Card-Board has four slots cut into it. Each card holder holds about 16 standard playing cards without the cards overlapping one another. The slots are cut to a depth of approximately 3/8ths of an inch and will obscure that much of a playing card. As for quality, I imagine the wooden boards will last a lifetime and beyond. There are other companies besides Card-Boards making this style of wooden board, of course, but I found Card-Boards’s response to my order as well as the shipping to be lightning fast. If you’re playing with unprotected cards without plastic sleeves, the Card-Boards also help to prevent the transfer of sweat, oil, and Cheeto-dust to the cards that can happen with prolonged gripping. Your cards should also remain straighter because they’ll be free of the bending tendency that accompanies holding cards in a semi-circle.

A Card-Board Card Holder Can Keep a Pride of Lions Ready for the Game of Thrones LCG

A Significant Downside and Two Minor Ones

The only real downside to the Card-Boards is obvious in that they require a flat surface to rest upon. In small cramped spaces or without a table available the Card-Boards will not be of much use. A minor downside of the card holders is that properly holding a hand of cards is an actual learned skill that is expected of most adult gamers. I may be making a mountain out of a molehill, but children do need to develop manual dexterity and hand and finger strength, besides the skill of not revealing one’s hand to other players. However as an adult, I’ll stick to a Card-Board when I can get away with it and avoid hand cramps. The only other problem the Card Board could pose is that it reveals your hand when other players get up from the table and walk around to answer the phone or get more chips and soda. In this respect, it’s also like a Scrabble tray but at the point where this becomes an issue, you’ve probably got bigger ones.

The Perfect Use for Card-Boards: Hanabi

R&R Games’ Hanabi is an addictive game of near-silent cooperation, the 2013 Spiel des Jahres Game of the Year Winner, and also the perfect way to use Card-Boards card holders. While I’ve played Hanabi a number of times, I’ve never done so by holding the cards in my hand. Instead we play using the Card-Boards. Each player’s hand of 5 cards is always perfectly visible and we have an easy time pointing out which card to discard or play. With a player’s cards tilting away from that player there is no danger of a player getting a glimpse at his own cards and the game becomes a purely mental and social exercise. The Card-Boards have the added advantage of allowing further organization based on the transmitted knowledge of what number or color cards are by using the other three rows. Now this may break the spirit of the game, but players could possibly do so already by trying to hold their cards in different places by using their ring or pinky fingers.

Hanabi is Much Easier and More Enjoyable with Card-Boards Card Holders

Excellent for the Elderly and Others with Special Needs

As good as the Card-Boards are for a fairly healthy adult, they are even better for the elderly or others who suffer from arthritis. As such, the Card-Boards would make a great gift to a grandmother or grandfather. Children (or adults) with disabilities will also benefit from the Card-Boards. Simply by using a card holder, those with moderate to severe cerebral palsy or who are quadriplegic could still play most card games and retain the same level of secrecy that most card games demand. The dealer could deal cards directly into the Card-Board with the player giving instructions as to which cards to play or remove. “Play the middle card.” or “Discard the second card from my left.” could suffice for instructions.

The Fan Style of Card Holders: Not as Useful

When compared to the fan style of card holders, where cards are clipped or slid into a holder, the Card-Boards design comes out ahead since it has multiple rows, is more durable than plastic, is stylish, and is generally less expensive. Handheld fan-style holders can be just as hard for those with disabilities to hold as managing a hand of cards conventionally. Due to this, I would recommend Card-Boards to both teachers and parents because they allow every child to participate in educational games and activities. Any concerns a student may have about standing out from his or her peers by using a card holder will vanish once their peers realize just how many advantages a Card-Board has and just how comfortably one can play by using one. Every player will want one.

Even for Games with Fewer Cards Like Attika, the Card-Boards are Useful and Keep Hands Free

In 2000 at CineVegas I saw the worst movie I’ve ever seen. Its director was also its only star, playing over 40 roles as the screen cut from one camcorder shot to another. Sometimes he conversed with himself and other times he “acted” with a dummy. He also wore a gorilla suit. One by one viewers left the theater. Some swore in disgust. One newcomer came in and got up and left in less than a minute. It became an endurance contest as those of us who remained enjoyed a sort of camaraderie, occasionally looking over at one another with disbelieving looks, grateful to have something else to look at besides that dreadful, dreadful movie. Knight Chills from 2001 may not be as bad, but it is plain awful and ranks among the worst movies I have ever seen. In fact, on IMDB I give it 1 out of 10 stars.

The film centers around a group of roleplayers so unlike one another that my suspension of disbelief snapped within the first five minutes. We have one or two jocks who like to bully a fellow player when not getting drunk, a stoner and his girlfriend, another girl who is overweight and snarky, and the group’s GM, a high school teacher whose wife occasionally plays too. Then there is John, who is pretty intense. It takes over 40 minutes of painful exposition on screen before unlikeable nerd John finally gives in and crashes his car into a tree in an emo fit of rage, sorrow, and rejection. Naturally John mutters a spell-curse as any roleplayer would before he kills himself, “To the land of the shadow I will ride, turning from the cold earth, deep my love, my vengeance. Squire and steed, the quest will be fulfilled by the solstice of Yule; I cross the Veil.” Then his car explodes and he roars demonically in the flames.

If I seem a little apathetic about the nerd tragedy that is John, let me explain that I’m probably not being harsh enough. At the beginning of Knight Chills, when his mother or aunt mentions that Uncle Sal is dying, John storms out of the house and mutters “Sea hag!” under his breath. It comes out that he has lied to her about attending gaming for the night, since she’s religious and against his roleplaying. Maybe she’s still bothered too about John allegedly killing his younger brother (a rumor the GM’s wife is delighted to share). Besides this matter of murder, John constantly hits on the stoner/slacker Zac’s girlfriend, both calling her number 14 times without leaving a message and making overtures to her in person, creeping her out by kneeling and begging, “Please don’t leave, Jahandra. Let me warm you with my pledge of undying affection.” Her boyfriend, the stoner Zac, is played by DJ Perry. And it’s DJ Perry we have to thank for this piece of garbage, since he produced and helped write it. Its production values for normal scenes are actually not that bad (reminiscent of an X-Files episode) but the acting, along with the horrid script, is probably one of the reasons that Knight Chills belongs in the horror section.

That and the whole revenge theme and coming back from the Beyond. John unfortunately doesn’t stay dead and instead returns as the semi-mysterious Black Knight. Does he right wrongs in this new form? No, he continues the lame existence he already had and leaves red roses as an ominous foreshadowing before killing his fellow roleplayers who mocked him in life. Maybe they deserve it too; they also mock him at his own funeral, clowning around until they are shushed. Despite his purported knightly ideals in life, the Black Knight also kills off a random, innocent bystander girl. For a fuller plot summary with many more laughs than the actual Knight Chills, read Something Awful’s review.

Gaming in Knight Chills: “This is a game.”

For all of its many evils, Knight Chills does manage to capture some typical gaming moments in the two gaming sessions at the start of the film, however poorly lit they are. The group plays by candlelight, of course, as all true role-players do, in a basement with cobblestones painted onto the cinderblocks. Wooden shelves loaded with miniatures beckon over the GM’s shoulder. The GM even wears a special Renaissance hat in the second session. The players break down as follows:

John – Sir Jonathan Kallio, a Knight of the Rose, High Executioner, Protector of the Golden Flame of the Ancients, who wields a Sword of Righteousness

Zac – Morgan who wields a sword (and has the least amount of roleplaying time on screen)

Hanee – Teek, who has a Brooch of Illusion which grants invisibility. He also has a Crystal of Penetration.

Russell – Aristo the bard, who curiously wields a battle axe (unless he is referring to his guitar as his axe)

Laura – Catherine, a priestess, who stands ready with her herbs and magic, serving her “Ultimate God”

The players encounter goblins in the first session before confronting an ice demon with an “icy scourge” on a mountainside. Jack the GM (or Lord of Lore in the film’s fictional RPG) narrates with passion, but the real conflict at the table happens between players John and Hanee, whose characters come to blows after Hanee has Teek attempt to spook Sir Kallio’s horse. The action spills over into real life, despite warnings that “This is a game.” Hanee fumes outside the GM’s house, “I’m going to choke the piss out of that little geek.”

In the second session the characters are in a maze and take turns describing their characters’ actions. The GM pulls Hanee aside into a different room to describe what Teek sees as he scouts ahead. This is a nice touch and perhaps the first and only cinematic capture of roleplaying on the side of a group. The camera circles around the room as the group fights a demon. Throughout both gaming sessions there are sound effects and music, added to heighten the viewer’s tension. I’m on the fence about their inclusion, but since Knight Chills is so bad, it doesn’t really matter anyway. More interestingly, while they play with miniatures, there are also random Woodland Scenics trees on the tabletop in both scenes. I have to imagine that director Katherine Hicks or one of the set directors suggested adding them to create a more visually interesting tabletop, but they are odd and out of place.

While it’s never shown on camera, John also works as a hobby shop clerk where a popular game called Pandemonium is played. When the GM confides that he can’t let his wife know about his spending habits, John is in disbelief, “No way! You can never spend too much on gaming stuff!” John has a point there.

The Redemption Found in Knight Chills

For a brief moment Knight Chills actually gets good. John has died and his funeral’s over. Jack the GM calls to his wife to come downstairs, asking if she’s touched anything. Miniatures have mysteriously been set up on the basement table on a “dungeon floor plan”, which the wife recognizes as the layout of their house! They go to check on their son and his rocking horse is rocking eerily, but he’s “fast asleep” in bed. Creepy! Sadly this doesn’t continue and rather than the survivors needing to roleplay or analyze miniatures to solve the mystery, the Black Knight slowly stalks and kills off his victims. The miniatures scene also features the best actor in the film, Tim Jeffrey, as the GM. His on-screen partner Laura, played by Laura Alexander, is the pits though. Ultimately roleplaying does play a part in dealing with the Black Knight at the climax of the film with the GM using his Ultimate GM Authority, “I command you to hold, for I, and I alone, am the Lord of the Lore. You have done well on your quest. All your enemies are vanquished and you’ve won the love of fair Jahandra with your courage and your bravery. I declare this campaign over. You may cross over now, into the Hall of Heroes where you may eat and drink and sing song until ye be summoned to action once again.” If only I got to make such speeches at the end of every adventure or campaign!

All Those Other Gaming Movies: Not So Bad

Apart from those few scenes, another redeeming quality that Knight Chills has is that it makes other bad movies about roleplaying look brilliant by comparison. I would gladly watch the bizarre Skullduggery over and over again rather than ever lay eyes on Knight Chills again. Geekin’ can be painful to watch, but at least it has some comedic moments. The fairly straight-laced Mazes and Monsters seems better and better every time I’ve watched Knight Chills. Maybe that guy Tom Hanks should have gotten an Oscar for his part.

And What Knight Chills Reveals About IMDB

Knight Chills also revealed something else. It has a number of accurate reviews on IMDB.com for a movie that is on the level of Transylvania 5000, Ishtar, and Batman & Robin; most reviewers try to warn other viewers about what a horrible movie it is and to avoid it at all costs. Their warnings:

“Whatever you do, do not waste your time or money on this one!!!!!” – bluebloodraven

“I had honestly thought I had seen the worst movies had to offer, until I saw Knight Chills I was wrong.” – JFerenczy

So it stands out when users give it 6, 7, 8 and even 10 stars. I’ll be the first to admit that my Perception can be quite low, but it has taken me all these years to recognize that IMDB can be a great haven for internet trolls, who can rate a bad movie positively just to enjoy their victims’ imagined anguish and grief. Further investigation also reveals that many of the positive reviews were done by reviewers who only have reviewed Knight Chills and no other movies. Knight Shills anyone? In all fairness, most of the negative reviewers from above had also only reviewed Knight Chills and no other movie on IMDB, but I tend to credit that to their humanity and overwhelming desire to save others’ time from the horror that is Knight Chills.

Consider, if you care to, the following review and note the reviewer’s IMDB username. Either it’s a perfect internet trolling or a bit of self-promotion from the film’s producer/writer/stoner.

DVD Bonus Features: The Dungeon

If you actually bother to watch Knight Chills despite warnings about how bad it is, at least reward yourself with the Dungeon Tour bonus feature. In it, one of the writers, Jeff Kennedy, takes the viewer on a tour of the basement room or “dungeon” used for the roleplaying sessions. Kennedy also explains that some of the film’s bizarre RPG persecution scenes were based on his own life as a teacher. Besides the aforementioned shelves of miniatures, there are also trophies that Kennedy’s gaming club collected from years of attending Gen Con and a giant Shivan Dragon M:TG card. Kennedy started the dungeon in 1989, but began gaming as a wargamer in the 1970s, and built his own custom, maplewood gaming table as well as an initiative tracker using wooden discs on a rod. Kennedy ends his tour by saying “Gaming inspired my partner DJ Perry and I to write and produce Knight Chills – and possibly Knight Chills – Part 2, we’ll see – and I hope it inspires you to do a bit more gaming. Some of the best times I’ve ever had have been around this table gaming.”